How an introvert made it through Malice Domestic Fan Convention

And kept my intrusive thoughts at bay!

Apr 29, 2025

three images - first image of woman wearing red glasses, second image of table with black cloth, a woman signing a book and a woman standing in front of the table waiting for the book, third image is of a long table covered in blue cloth with two women seated and talking — I'm not great at photos so don't come for me!

What is Malice Domestic?

According to its official website, Malice Domestic was established in 1989 as an annual fan convention that takes place each year in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Malice celebrates the Traditional Mystery, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie.

This was my second year attending. The goal — to build some interest in my upcoming 2026 release, THINGS ARE AS THEY SHOULD BE and other words to die for, from Uncomfortably Dark Horror. A sizable number of the stories are crime related or adjacent so I dragged my introverted self to this acclaimed convention.

How I made it through

Getting through Malice required planning. The best plan…making sure I knew a few friendly faces before arriving like my critique group. Authors Ashley-Ruth Bernier and Beth Walker attended so I had a base to work with for lunch and dinner.

Also, making small talk with anyone I sat next to during panels was helpful. Finding out about readers and writers and why they came to Malice was actually eye opening and FUN! I know that isn’t revolutionary but for a diehard introvert, that is VERY big progress.

And last, I joined gatherings hosted by various groups I belong to and met a ton of friendly writers. Especially Short Mystery Fiction Society and Crime Writers of Color, great spaces to catch up and meet new people.

Note that Malice has a first time attendee (reader or writer) introduction session. Many of these author/reader conferences have these kind of immersion sessions including Bouchercon, another crime/mystery event, which takes it a step further and pairs you with a buddy.

Was it worth it?

Of course it was! Luckily, mystery readers and writers are a friendly bunch so I was quickly put at ease throughout the weekend. I even sold a few books and came away with a stack of new books, new friends, and new chocolate (based on classic book titles)!

I had a lovely talk with a fan who had read my work since meeting me at the last convention and she wanted to share her kind thoughts. 💖It was a very cool moment for me to have real time feedback.

What’s next?

Malice has left me feeling energized to get back to writing as well as the movie “Sinners”! I’m still dissecting Ryan Coogler’s masterpiece. For my take on Afro-religious concepts and horror, check out my analysis at DreadCentral.com - “Deconstructing How ‘The Skeleton Key’ Depicts African Spiritual Beliefs (and 3 Films That Do It Better)”. It features commentary on the film, ‘His House”, staring the wonderful actress Wunmi Mosaku, the heartbeat of the film, “Sinners”.

(L-R) Wunmi Mosaku in "His House" and "Sinners"

Currently working on a novel, novella, and a few short stories. New releases include:

June 2025 - “Double Dutch Dare”, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAMES anthology, Level Best Books
Sept/Oct 2025 - “Rage Ritual”, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (my FIRST EQMM story!!)
Sept/Oct 2025 - “Creating An Interconnected World One Short Story At a Time”, Writer’s Digest